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Sunday, October 16, 2016

Two weeks ago was the
monthly pistol match at the local range.Good times as always.It is a mix
of experienced competitors and new comers.All are welcome.But there are
several items of note during the match that concerned me.I point these out not to shame anyone, but to
highlight areas of safety concern so we may all be better and safer.

Know how to operate you firearm:

It is a must to know how to
operate your firearm correctly and safely.Every new firearm comes with an instruction manual.READ IT!If you bought it used, go to YouTube University and learn about your new
firearm.

On the first occasion a
gentleman came to the line with a 1911.A great gun with a manual safety.He loaded and chambered a round, then paused and said “I forgot it had a
safety.”This phrase should not be
uttered.Ever!

The second shooter came to
the line with a SIG pistol, loaded and proceeded to holster his pistol without
dropping the hammer with the de-cocker lever. SIG pistols do not have a manual
safety.It is a double action pistol
with a de-cocker lever.It is not
designed to be carried with the hammer cocked.That is the point of a double action pistol.I should not hear excuses of why it is OK to
start with a cocked pistol and no manual safety.

I know it is hot and
uncomfortable and you want to be comfortable so you un-tuck your shirt to be
confortable.Often times your un-tucked
shirt covers your holster.This is a
problem when re-holstering, you holster your shirt with your pistol.Possibly causing your pistol to fall out of
your holster.Best to avoid dropping a
loaded pistol.

Buy a proper belt and holster:

I understand shooting is not
a cheap sport.There is a lot of new
equipment you need to buy.But it is
important to have a good belt and holster.The belt must be sturdy enough to support the weight of your
firearm.The holster needs to securely
hold your firearm in place.

What I noticed at the match
some shooters simply wrap the belt around their waist loosely with their $20
gun sock flapping in the breeze.The
problem with this setup is when you draw your pistol you tend to draw the
holster and belt with it.It slows you
down and potentially leads to you crossing the muzzle of your pistol across
your own body.This is unsafe.Your belt and holster must be secure.

If using a single belt, feed
it through the belt loops on your pants.Don’t wrap it around your waist, it must go through the belt loops.Then cinch the belt tight so the holster does
not flop around.This prevents things
from moving and flopping around too much.It also helps with re-holstering.You are not trying to place your pistol into a moving holster.

If you are using a separate
gun belt to hold your holster instead of your pants belt, you want to use Belt
Keepers to prevent your gun belt from flopping around.Belt Keepers are simple straps that wrap
around your gun belt and pants belt to hold everything in place securely.They may be made of leather or other
synthetic materials.They are fastened
with snaps or Velcro.

Heck, buy some Velcro straps
from the local hardware store and wrap secure your belt with them.They will work in a pinch.

One final comment on
holsters.Avoid the $20 gun socks if you
can.In general they suck.They are loose, floppy and generally do not
hold your pistol securely.I understand
you may not be able to afford better.But do try to afford better.

The same can be said about
the cheap holster and magazine carrier many manufacturers ship with their
pistols.These work if you have nothing
else, but should be thrown away as soon as you buy something better.Do you really want to trust a $3 holster that
came with the pistol?These are mostly
marketing tricks to give the illusion you are getting something more than you
are.

You may spend $50 - $100 for
a good holster.It is worth it, better
and safer.

Kydex is a great
choice.So is old fashioned
leather.Nylon is generally undesireable
as it is loose and floppy.Make sure the
holster is designed for your specific model.

Conclusion:

These are a few of the
safety concerns I saw during the local match.

The shooting sports are fun
and challenging and you meet lots of interesting and friendly people.

But do be safe.Know your equipment and buy the right
equipment so your shooting experience is safer and more enjoyable.

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

I once watched a review of the S&W MP15-22, by Colion Noir, as
being a fun gun to shoot and own. I
must admit I have one and have always thought it one of the most fun rifles I own. Every time I take that rifle out I get a big
ole smile on my face and want to shout, “WWWWEEEEEEEEEEEE”. I recommend this firearm at every turn,
totally a fun gun to own and shoot. In
this same vein of gun ownership I write about the Sig Sauer MPX-P. This is a totally fun, versatile pistol that has
many of the same advantages as the M&P15-22.
It’s relatively inexpensive to shoot, points quickly, light, easy to
operate with the same controls as the AR-15, and allows for the addition of
accessories to make it very uniquely yours.

The MPX-P is classified as a pistol, utilizing the Sig arm
brace at the end of a side folding tube.
With the side folder closed, the overall length of the 9mm pistol comes
in at a respectable 17 inches (8.5” barrel), and fully
extended gives it a length of 27inches, making it a compact pistol with many
applications. The gun draws on its
short history as a new entry into the submachine gun world, as competition to
the venerable HK MP5 series of submachine guns. The Attraction of the MPX in this field is
most noticeably the manual of arms.
This gun’s controls look like an AR15/M4, and operate as an AR15/M4. Adding to this familiarity, the gun comes from the factory ambidextrous in safety, magazine release, and bolt release! The charging handle, safety, left side bolt release, and trigger are
AR15. The charging handle is
shortened to accommodate the shortened cartridge length, but the operation and
shape are the same you know and love. The safety is very plump and can easily
be found with thumb, finger, or knuckle depending on how you train. Lastly the trigger is reportedly an AR15
trigger, but a careful read of the manual indicates it really isn’t. The trigger is “basically” a standard single
stage AR 15 trigger with a crisp break, and proper reset. The hand guard is equipped with Key Mod style
front end and comes with a very simple fore arm stop to prevent the shooter
from over reaching the muzzle. The top receiver comes with picatiny rail from muzzle to pistol brace, for your favorite red
dot style site and other accessories. The gun comes equipped
with flip up sights front and rear. Rounding out the list of factory features is a
single point sling mount in the rear part of the receiver, the sling is
included, and a left hand thread flash
hider. The gun comes with a single 30
round magazine made by Lancer for Sig.

I see this firearm as
being very versatile and fairly easy to feed and maintain. I purchased the gun to run incognito in my
laptop bag with the folding brace, the gun easily stores in a standard back
pack used to cart around laptops, with room for your laptop. My pack carries two 30 round magazines for
the MPX-P, and 2 for the handgun I carry, as well as a suppressor (and laptop). However, this gun could also handily serve
as a home defense firearm for shooters concerned with over penetration from
either 5.56, or buck shot. My MPX took the place of an AR pistol that was
tasked with the same job, but had to be stored in 2 pieces for the length of
the backpack. At close quarters the gun
is very easy to utilize when wanting to put multiple shots on target quickly. In my vehicle carry scenario, the MPX was
much faster to put into service than the AR taking into account the time
spent assembling the AR. A secondary
benefit is the space needed by the magazines and the weight savings of similar
loads.

The gun is easy to control and put rounds where you want
them. I adorned mine with a Burris Fast
Fire II red dot site and was able to sight in the gun with a group that was
coverable by a nickle at 7 yards, 21 feet, typical distance used in
self-defense training and shooting. My zero consisted of 6 shots. I shot 100 rounds total (suppressed and unsuppressed) and experience no failures to fire, feed or other malfunction. My
particular pistol is a 9mm, but the gun is also offered in S&W .40 and .357
Sig. The gun is easy to control when
firing rapidly, and accurate when targeting deliberately.

From an innovation standpoint, not much on this gun is
totally new to the AR shooter, it’s all been around, and AR’s have been offered
in 9mm for many years, which all makes this gun seem familiar to the AR
enthusiast. The gun does utilize a
short stroke piston for activating the bolt, and the sub gun fires from a
closed bolt. The piston system keeps
the bolt carrier group relatively clean after extended use. What was new, to me, is the bolt
carrier. The recoil springs are mounted
to the top of the bolt carrier group, with the fore end of it otherwise looks
similar to the AR/M4 bold carrier. The bolt installs into the upper in a very
intuitive way. The gun fits well
together, no contortions, force, or extra pieces were experienced from take down
to cleaning, to re-assembly.

Take down is also very AR like. Remove the two pins and it comes apart as an
AR15 does, however upon opening up the front hinge point, the handguard is
easily removed over the front of the gun, and reveals the 2 screws that attach
the barrel to the upper receiver. My
understanding is that a replacement barrel can be purchased and the caliber
changed at this point.

In case you can’t tell by now, I’ll shamelessly plug I’m a
fan of this gun. The gun is simple to
use, small to store, allows me to use most of my AR accessories, and utilizes
the same ammunition as my carry gun. I
get dual use from my 9mm suppressor, which allowed me to skip suppressing my
AR….err for now anyway.

While I do like this gun, I am going to circle back around
to the magazines. One magazine included
with a gun of this expense is a bit of a rip off. Additional mags are advertised on their web
site for about $70 a piece or 3 pak for $169, but if you register on their web site, and receive
their emails, they do offer frequent discounts of 15-20% off, and stores north
of the border carry them at less than retail price. Sig does seemingly jab you on the cost of
their magazines. Magpul are you listening?

If you like Sig Sauer handguns, you’re going to love this
one! The gun has many features you’ll
love and putting rounds down range will make you smile and sing
out,”WWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEE”!! Your face will
break into smiles and this gun will make you want to play tunes on steel
targets. This gun is, dare I say it,
sexy as all get out!

If you’re not a fan of Sig Sauer, you’ll probably note that
9mm AR’s are certainly available with many of the perks and capabilities they
do offer, at maybe a similar or less price point. If you are willing to Franken-gun a Glock 17
or 19 with a bunch of strap on kits and call it equivalent, please do not leave
any comments, just walk away, and maybe sign up for a remedial art class at
your local community college.

and check out Lina Miculek with the full auto version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6tRUYfq6KQ